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Thursday, February 28, 2013

The evidence continues to stack up for why J. Tillman is the best frontman in modern rock n' roll. It all started yesterday with the picture seen above: Father John Misty's outfit was previewed as the band was slated to perform on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

And although he covered it up with a classy suit jacket and slacks, the energy of the jumpsuit was still there within the performance of "I'm Writing a Novel." Ignore Duchovny's face and click that play button to watch.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Our favorite hip hop rabble-rouser performed on last night's Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, and Tyler, the Creator brought an entertaining performance as always. Performing "TreeHome" from behind a piano, followed by "Domo 23" which is the latest single off of his forthcoming album, Wolf due out April 2 on Odd Future Records.

But the highlight of his performance may be the Instagram photo Tyler, the Creator posted last night. Seen above, the photo features OFWGKTA's Taco posing with Donald Trump (who was also a guest that night) with Tyler taking the opportunity to photobomb behind them. Side note: Tyler calls Trump "Donald Musty Ass," which should probably just be DT's new nickname.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Bay area duo, Painted Palms is the musical side project of cousins Reese Donohue and Chris Prudhomme. As song ideas were passed back and fourth through numerous emails, it wasn't until of Montreal frontman Kevin Barnes discovered their EP and invited them to open up for his group on a nationwide tour.

With Secretly Canadian's re-release of their originally self-released EP, Canopy, Painted Palms spent the majority of 2012 writing and recording their debut album (expected for release in 2013). Their music has been described as "joyous pop and buoyant electronics," which lay the foundation for it's lush soundscapes.

In the meantime, Polyvinyl will be releasing a limited 7" (500 copies) of the the bands second release. The A-side features the track "Carousel," also the lead track from their upcoming album, while the B-side "Click" is exclusive to only the 7". Enjoy both tracks below.

For updates visit the bands Facebook page and for ordering information hit up Polyvinyl.

Psychic Twin, a Chicago based electro-pop group, are gearing up to embark on a US tour next week including SXSW in Austin, TX. To prep for this tour, they also shared a B-side titled "Dream State," which will be included on their upcoming 7" titled Strangers(March 7, Polyvinyl).

Psychic Twin emerged nearly two-and-half years ago when Erin Fein, "indebted to 80's new-wave," began writing a series of "intensely personal" and "nervously rhythmic" songs. As Fein doubled her vocals, during the recording process, she was overwhelmed with the surreal sense that she was recording with her twin. Fein admits, "In an ideal situation, there would have been two of me singing and playing the music," but with that being nearly impossible she is joined by Brett Sanderson, who provides a fluid backdrop to her "propulsive electronica" and "shimmering snyth-rock." Psychic Twin are subtle beats joined by synthesizers and keys, which assist in the construction of her melodic pop songs that are often both mysterious and romantic.

When Beach Fossils first came to be with the release of a self-titled LP, (back in those days of yore of 2010) they were quickly pegged as one of the best lo-fi acts to surface. Beginning as a solo project of frontman Dustin Payseur's, Beach Fossils' first release found beauty in its simplicity, all of the songs featuring a very similar structure that aligned perfectly with the name Beach Fossils.

Since then, Beach Fossils have released an EP (What a Pleasure) and Payseur has seen an influx of musicians join and leave the band, most recently losing bassist John Pena last July and watching guitarist Cole Smith's group DIIV enjoy similar success right alongside Beach Fossils'.

Beach Fossils may contain other people, but the music belongs to Dustin Payseur. And there's a lot of it. Payseur claims that the album took the last two years to come to fruition, writing 70+ songs in the process. Seventy plus.

The band's second full length album, Clash The Truth, released last week via Captured Tracks, features 14 of the 70 (25 percent, not bad) begins with an eponymous song which creates a backdrop for the album which shares the same name. The guitar loop used throughout is as elegant as it is simple, and although Payseur's vocals are gentle, his lyrics are not (the song begins "The world can be so vicious that we can't even appreciate its purities"), and the song eventually melds in to a post-punk shout-along.

The grace and simplicity are steady throughout and for the most part develop a very symbiotic relationship that really gives the album a specific focus; rarely losing momentum or your attention, and never digressing to monotony. The structure of many of the songs is reminiscent of a missing link between Joy Division and New Order: ostensibly punk without actually attaching itself to a cause or single train of thought; a prominent bass line and fast, methodical drums; and lyrics that can, at times, reflect a "I don't give a fuck"-mindset.

Epitomized in songs like "Generational Synthetic," the IDGAF-mindset seemingly serves as a criticism for modern music and/or a response to the "pressures" Payseur has dealt with over the last two years. Lyrics like "Trade a fortune for a song; what we wanted all along/ Oh, your words are so magnetic; Generational synthetic" are a weak criticism if it's attempting to be one, and make Payseur seem like kind of a cynical dick. But then again, he DGAF.

Dick or not, Payseur makes some amazing music on this album. Songs like "Careless" (streaming below), "Taking Off" and "Caustic Cross" are absolutely intoxicating. The attitude of the lyrics scream "winter blues" but the mood of the music begs for summer. Occasional brief interludes in between songs don't disjoint the album, but rather help glue it together; "Ascension" is an engrossing, minute-long, guitar-driven piece that leads beautifully in to the album's final song, "Crashed Out".

Payeur clearly is filled with ambition and talent that can be muddled by an attitude that seems prematurely elitist. I will deal with this for now, and just hope that Payeur's success will eventually match his apparent ego. All of this leads to Clash The Truth being one of the best rock albums that 2013 will have to offer, if not eventually holding on to the honor by itself at year's end.

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Check out this super light-hearted, fun, fluffy, laid back, fresh, and genuinely smile-worthy video from up-and-coming band The Shilohs for their single "The Place Where Nobody Knows I Go." Pick up their new album So Wild over at iTunes here.

If The Shins made music in the early 1990's it'd probably sound something like this:

Friday, February 22, 2013

One of the best songs from one of the best hip hop albums in recent memory got a music video today. Check out Kendrick Lamar's video for "Poetic Justice" below, off his album good kid, m.A.A.d city and featuring a guest spot from Drake. The track features a sample of Janet Jackson's "Anytime, Anyplace" and relies so heavily on it, it could be considered a remix of the track. It had been rumored that Kendrick was trying to get Janet Jackson for a cameo for the vid, and although that didn't happen, it still plays out the "fatal attraction" theme quite well, and is worth a watch. Not to mention the song itself being phenomenal.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Desert Noises' bassist Tyler Osmond pulled together and edited the bands official video for 'I Won't See You' while on tour. The video contains footage of guitarist Pat Boyer's grandmother's family vacation from the 40's. The song itself is featured on the bands newest release I Won't See You EP.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Matt Costa seems like a pretty practical man. The former skateboarder turned singer-songwriter keeps things relatively simple in his music, from lyrics to composition, and definitely with album titles. His latest release is the self-titled Matt Costa, which came out last week on Brushfire Records.

His fourth release on Brushfire (best known as Jack Johnson's record label), the album stays pretty consistent with Costa's previous releases. His use of simple melodies and apparent affinity for some sweet, sweet tambourine remain evident, as well as a very clear sixties folk influence.

From his music to his demeanor, both live and in interviews, Costa comes across as the cool older brother of Brushfire. Jack Johnson invites him to a beach bonfire and he arrives in a sensible cable-knit sweater because he knows it will get cool at night. He's the guy who takes one hit from the bong and says he's good. Hell, he probably is. He goes home at a reasonable hour and listens to the Mamas and the Papas on vinyl with his wife. (In this scenario I am choosing to ignore that Johnson is seven years older than Costa and one is based in Hawaii and the other in California, thank you.)

Matt Costa fits perfectly with the above incredibly specific image I have of the man himself. Without being spectacular, it's good. There are a couple of standout tracks, the first single "Good Times" being one of them, and a few that can be skipped without really missing anything. The lack of risk results in an album that is difficult to really dislike, but equally difficult to fall in love with.

Watch the below music video for "Good Times" for evidence of Matt Costa really wearing the hell out of a sensible sweater.

So this is pretty awesome. Tanline's have released an interactive music video for "Not The Same" - their latest single off of 2012's nearly perfect debut LP, Mixed Emotions. There are bound to be a few glitches as you do this, but it's nevertheless incredibly fun.

The interactive video format allows you to select a setting (White House and Stonehenge are my favorites), as well as which instruments the Jesse and Ian are shown playing, their position on the screen, and other elements. Check out a couple more of my favorite screenshots below from my experiments with the video, and head to http://www.notthesa.me/ to create your own!

Oh, and if you're unfamiliar with Tanlines or the song, do yourself a favor and listen to a few tracks below.

HAIM is a band that you will undoubtedly be hearing a lot about over the next few months. The group, comprised of three sisters - Este, Danielle, and Alana Haim along with drummer Dash Hutton all hailing from L.A. The group released a three-song EP called Forever last fall, and have been churning out hit after hit (after hit, after remix-hit, after hit music video, etc. etc.).

The title track off of their next EP, Falling (due out April 1) has just been paired with a music video, released today. The song sparkles with the late-80s/early-90s pop glory that the rest of the group's music plays into.

Mix one part funky guitar riff; one part shoulder-shake-inducing bass line; one part catchy vocals (usually layered with glorious simplicity); and one or two parts of a few hand claps or shouts of "HEY!" and you've got HAIM's illustrious version of pop music nailed down. Check out the recipe for yourself with their new video, which leaves the girls in an area unexplored in their previous videos: the wilderness.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The 1975 are an English (Manchester) rock group that are all-but-destined to explode on the scene, as they prepare to release their Music for Cars EP in less than two weeks (March 4/5 UK/US release). The first single from the album, "Chocolate" is one that you will either love or hate, frontman Matthew Healy's voice being the polarizing factor here. But don't let this song fool you, based on their last EP (aptly titled, Sex) the band has a lot more chill-wave up their sleeve than Chocolate would lead you to believe.

Personally, I absolutely love the song, and cannot wait for the new EP. For now I will have to pass my time with "Chocolate" on repeat, even though my iPod's volume control does not allow me to play the song as loudly as I desire.

The 1975 venture to the US next month, and will be performing at SXSW followed by a tour which will bring them through Milwaukee immediately after the festival in Austin. Check out the dates here.

Tame Impala have quickly been labeled as a rising act in the indie rock world, with Lonerism being clamored over as one of 2012's best albums by many critics. Their tour has been selling out across the nation, including a date here in Milwaukee on March 3, and if their performance of "Elephant" last night on Fallon was any indication of their live set, I'm giddy with excitement.

They sound great, and although there does not appear too much glitz, glamour, or sparkle behind their live act, they seem to perform great as a group, with unmistakeable chemistry. Check out the video below, complete with a Fallon humble-brag about how he helped Tame Impala make their TV debut in 2011.

San Cisco, have had little time since emerging from Fremantle, Western Australia just a few years ago. Jordi Davieson (lead vocals,guitar), Josh Biondillo (guitar, keyboards, vocals), Nick Gardner (bass) and Scarelett Stevens (drums) were just nearly out of high school when they hit the music scene with their debut EP titled Golden Revolver.
Being compared to acts like Vampire Weekend and Bright Eyes, the young musicians soon found themselves playing established gigs such as Big Day Out, Lunway, and a handful of local shows. In 2011 they were nominated for the "Unearthed K Award," also landing themselves at #7 for Triple J's Hottest 100 Countdown. Soon after, they headed back in the studio to record their follow-up: Awkward an EP which quickly gained momentum with the well-received first single of the same name, "Awkward." The EPcontinues to set the band apart from other acts, showcasing the groups eclectic mix of indie pop with "dashes of rock and slashes of synth."

With the success of selling out their first national tour, the band found themselves touring with The Vaccines who made a stop at Turner Hall Ballroom (Milwaukee, WI) on Friday, February 8th. The Vacciness had their work cut out for them with an opening act drawing in a considerable amount of attention.

Opening acts are often hit or miss, but I was pleasantly surprised to see a larger following in attendance, especially one who seemed to be there for San Cisco. Early on I overheard a few comparisons to the likes of Vampire Weekend (as mentioned earlier). The four piece took the stage around eight o'clock all in good spirits. With powerful vocals and catchy pop riffs, Jordi Biondillo took the reigns as a comfortable and confident frontman.

The band played the majority of their quickly growing catalog with songs like "Girls Do Cry" and "Golden Revolver." At one point Biondillo put down his guitar and picked up a tambourine for an entire song. The hit song, "Awkward" was a major crowd pleaser, with assistance on vocals from Scarlett Stevens, the track was also a fitting song to close the set. At times it was almost surreal and a bit surprising to hear screaming fans, almost like we were seeing the Beatles for the first time.

Overall, San Cisco not only can play their instruments, they really know how to work a crowd. There is an unmistakable and natural chemistry between the four, easily heard on both the album and live. San Cisco's dialed live show is a direct result of a young bands energetic, "electric mix of indie pop with folk undertones with a hint of synth." San Cisco are preparing a full lenth LP, in the works for release sometime this year. Until then, keep an eye out for upcoming shows near you availble on San Cisco's Facebook page or label site.

Monday, February 18, 2013

And on this day we are given the first glimpse into one of the most anticipated albums of the year: Phoenix's Bankrupt!
"Entertainment" will be the first song on the album, and is just as bright, poppy, new wave-y, et al., as I would have hoped for. Ok bye now, gonna go listen to this 15 times and learn all the lyrics.

Last year, Pitchfork sat down with Belle & Sebastian to discuss the neo-classic indie pop album, If You're Feeling Sinister, which celebrated its 15th anniversary last year. The result is an hour-long mini-film/documentary that has surfaced today, available for public viewing at Pitchfork.tv's channel on YouTube. Check it out below.

Belle & Sebastian will be headlining the Pitchfork Festival, alongside Bjork and R. Kelly, in July. Keep an eye out for more acts to be announced soon.

Friday, February 15, 2013

I recently fell in love with Foxygen, as I have been hearing their name all around the music circles but never actually took the time to listen for myself. Well after my first listen of We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic, I was sold and fell in love with the album's Velvet Underground feel, and it is my early contender for 2013 album of the year. Take a long listen to 'No Destruction' below and judge for yourself, but better yet dive into the entire album, as I promise you won't be disappointed.

I also had to add this live cut of 'In The Darkness' from The Fly Sessions which I thought was fantastic.

The Strokes surprised everyone the past few weeks with the announcement of their new album Comedown Machine, and graced the music world with their first cut 'One Way Trigger'. At first listen the song sounded rather normal and a lot less Strokes-ish. Now they are back with their second listen in on the album with the song 'All The Time' and it has a little bit of that old Strokes edge that we are used to from years past.

Always one for hilarity, Tyler, The Creator released a new [goofy-as-hell] video for "Domo 23," the first single off of his sophomore album, Wolf, which is due out April 2. The video follows a plot line of an Odd Future wrestling match, as Tyler faces off against Domo Genesis with Earl Sweatshirt as the referee.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Ablebody is the solo project of guitarist Christoph Hochheim, who formerly played in noteable acts such as Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Depreciation Guild. Hochheim had been releasing music over the last year under the name Ablebody, dishing out an EP of covers, crafting remixes and demoing original material.

The All My Everybody EP is said to be "like playing percussion jazz tapes in a Chinese garden or walking half-awake through an Eastern Emporium, where Hochheim presents sentimental trails of creative resolve." With Anton, Christoph's brother, taking over on drum arrangements the future looks bright for Ablebody and I look forward to what it holds. Enjoy the EPs first single, "Phantasy" below.

The five piece from New York City, known as Caveman, released their debut album CoCo Beware in 2011, which was filled with horizon-wide rock songs both intimate and expansive.

Now back with the followup album of the same name, CAVEMAN, the five piece provide a much more expansive and adventurous sound. The new single, "In the City" is said to "boast synth lines that sound simultaneously retro and futurist" while other songs such as "Pricey" which, "overflow with guitar sounds that could have miraculously floated off an old Cure album." While Caveman retains their dreamy-shoegaze sound, they also hold a certain depth to their music, especially once the lyrics are woven in.

The album started in New Hampshire at guitarist James Carbonetti's grandmothers attic decorated with christmas lights, where the guys allegedly sat in a room together as one after the other would go into the bathroom and record all sorts of weird noises. Comfortable enough with one another to attempt these experiments, the guys regrouped in brooklyn to record CAVEMAN. For an album that was dreamt up in an attic, accompanied by the strange sound of their own voices, the album seems promising with the release of the the first single, "In the City," which can be heard below.

CAVEMAN (Out April 2nd via Fat Possum)
1. Strange to Suffer
2. In the City
3. Shut You Down
4. Where's the Time
5. Chances
6. Over My Head
7. Ankles
8. Pricey
9. I See You
10. I Never Want to Know
11. The Big Push

The Southern California Indie Pop outfit The Little Ones have returned with their followup to 2008's Morning Tide. With the "DIY," spirit the guys recorded The Dawn Sang Alongin between day jobs with legend Dave Newton (the Mighty Lemondrops). Edward Reyes (vocals,guitar) states "We're not hired guns; we're all friends and thats keeps us dynamic. We're always having fun!"

That fun pop sound we are used to hearing from the Little Ones, is distinctly apparent on the new record. The Dawn Sang Along has been described as "sun-cripsed energy, a warm blast of rock songs that lean toward 1960's international pop." The Little Ones have always had the ability to create the "forget about the world," unconsciously tap your foot to the rhythm sort of pop song and from what we hear on the albums first single, "Argonauts" the album won't fail to deliver. Enjoy the video below.

Phoenix's follow up to the acclaimed spectacle of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix finds a place on a lot of "Most Anticipated Albums of 2013" lists pined over by music critics. Details have been leaking since December, but here is the full rundown of what we know, including North American tour dates:

There have been a fair amount of posthumously released Dilla tracks, some have been easy to write off, but this next compilation, titled The Diary is completely legitimate. Due to drop this spring, via Pay Jay which is now run by Dilla's estate and family, The Diary will feature rhymes and raps mixed by perennial favorites Madlib, Pete Rock, Nottz and more.

At long last, The Postal Service has shared a new track, which will be featured on the Give Up reissue which is set for release April 9th. Check out the first of two new songs to be released with the reissue below: "A Tattered Line of String"

Youth Lagoon's sophomore album Wondrous Bughouse is just around the corner with its March 5th release date. In preparation for the album's release Boise, Idaho's, Trevor Powers/Youth Lagoon has shared his second track "Mute" from the new album. Wondrous Bughouse was spawned from what Powers describes as "becoming more fascinated with the human psyche and where the spiritual meets the physical world." Take a listen to "Mute" below and also be sure to check out Youth Lagoon on tour.

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Frank Ocean gave an amazing performance at tonight's Grammy Awards. I'll be watching it over and over again to mask my denial of channel Orange being (clearly) robbed of Album of the Year, although Ocean did take home Best Urban Contemporary Album of the Year... so there's that.

Friday, February 8, 2013

Alabama Shakes continue in the good vibes with 'Always Alright' which is taken from the Silver Linings Playbook Soundtrack. They have been playing the song live for awhile but it finally made its way into a studio version for the soundtrack. Great movie, great song and a pretty damn cool band.

Iceland's, Sin Fang is back with his third album, titled Flowers, and carries on in his lo-fi off the radar type of sound. Record label Morr Music describes their artist as "Iceland's new king of lo-fi layered lushness", and it shows in such a song as "Young Boys" Great song to start out strong in 2013, and perhaps a little competition for fellow Icelanders Sigur Ros.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Those glorious Scandinavian new wavers are back with another track from their upcoming LP, Optica. Check out the stream for "Illusions" below, as well as their official video for "Walking In Your Footsteps"

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

The Finnish band, French Films are back with their first single 'Latter Days' from their upcoming album White Orchid. 'Latter Days' is a continuing success from their 2011 debut album Imaginary Future, and gives a taste of what to expect from the new album. White Orchid will be another self produced album and features ten brand new tracks. The band themselves describe the album as both "vivid and warm". Look for White Orchid to be released April/May overseas and hopefully the same time period here in North America.

Monday, February 4, 2013

Beach House unveiled a stunning short film today which features the band playing songs from their latest LP, Bloom in remote locations in Texas. The sound quality and cinematography are equally beautiful, making the 26-minute-plus length practically fly by. Check it out below, after a brief statement from the band's website:"We performed/recorded four songs from Bloom outdoors, in various locations that are special for us around El Paso and Tornillo, Texas. The film follows the passing of one night, starting at sunset and ending at dawn."Beach House - Forever Still